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If there's ever been a film deserving of an exact 5/10 rating, it's 'Mistrial.' This movie failed to wow me in any way, nor did it make me want to turn it off at any point. The script, while totally unrealistic and unbelievable, was brought to moderate life by the average acting abilities of Pullman, et al., at least enough to keep my half-closed eyes peering at the screen until the credits rolled.

If you want to throw something on in the background while you paint your toenails or floss your teeth, throw this film on. But if you're looking for a scintillating example of fine American courtroom drama, keep walking. This movie was only slightly more intellectually engrossing than Pullman's other 90's hit: Spaceballs.

"Mistrial" tells of a highly improbably story of a cop caught in the jaws of an imperfect system who goes over the edge and holds a courtroom hostage. Good work by Pullman can't save a mediocre screenplay and ludicrous lagging story with some good acting talent in scripted mannequin roles. Very ordinary low budget made-for-tv yawner.

Mistrial (1996) is a courtroom drama executive produced by Renny Harlin and it was very mediocre.

Positives for Mistrial (1996): Bill Pullman as Steve Donohue and Jon Seda as Eddie Rios are very good in their roles. The supporting cast does good with their roles. The movie looks nice and is shot competently. And finally, there are some good emotional moments throughout the movie.

Negatives for Mistrial (1996): This movie was very boring with its pacing. The movie is very forgettable and I had to rewind certain moments during my viewing experience and I'm still having a hard time remembering stuff. The story and the direction was very predictable from the beginning. And finally, the movie's ending was very confusing.

Overall, Mistrial (1996) is a bit of a misfire for me and while there are things I liked, there were also things that I disliked.

An interesting film that at first glance seems like just another crime story, but is actually much more complex than that.

It shows us how a man can break under the burden of injustice and hypocrisy.

In the story, we follow Detective Steve Donohue who tries to find the killer, and after he arrests a suspect to whom all the evidence points, but under the pressure of the media, the perpetrator could get away. The story well illustrates what can happen when the rule of law is abandoned and the rule of the mob prevails.

We see how it is possible to persuade and manipulate people to believe something that is not true, and injustice is sometimes so great that people simply break down and take the law into their own hands.

The media is often not interested in facts, but in sensationalism, and this is a very good example of that. The film is well directed and the acting is excellent.

Bill Pullman has excellently portrayed a character who definitely has flaws, but beneath that is someone who just wants people to know the truth. Although his actions are wrong, they unfortunately make sense. This is what makes this film so interesting and complex.

An interesting and complex film that is definitely worth watching.

In my opinion after watching 'Mistrial', this is a very underrated film (its current rating of 5.6 as of 18/11/2024 is almost criminal) with a great and very unconventional ending in which the 'victor', for lack of a better word, is not the one you expect. Only some questionable production values detract from an otherwise fantastic experience.

This film also offers an insightful and realistic portrayal of the limitations of the justice system, such as when evidence was withheld in court for dubious reasons which sometimes boil down to the judge's 'opinion'. Secondly, I loved the commentary on police brutality and the role of cops in society. They risk their lives on a daily basis for us both most get vilified way too easily when something goes a little awry.

A great and underrated film with a thought-provocative ending but which had a limited budget (which is somewhat understandable for TV productions).